
Hosted by CBC · EN
Five days a week, Tom Power brings you candid conversations with the artists shaping our culture. Whether he’s chatting with A-listers or rising stars, his disarming warmth and meticulous research always gets below the surface, bringing us deeper into the art and lives of today's most compelling musicians, writers, actors and filmmakers.
As a Canadian institution, Q has attracted the biggest names in the world. But it's never been about the fame. It's always been about the art.
Since becoming the host of Q in October 2016, listeners have come to know Tom for his in-depth interviewing style (asking founding Wu-Tang Clan member RZA what was inside his teenage notebooks), his mischievous sense of humour (jokingly chiding actor Catherine O'Hara for her parenting skills in Home Alone), and his genuine enthusiasm and fearlessness (singing a duet with Mavis Staples).
You’re just as likely to hear from celebrities and cultural icons as you are to hear from emerging artists at the beginning of their career. Tom gives each and every artist the space to tell their story in their own words. He also has a track record for interviewing artists on the precipice of stardom, like Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Daniel Caesar, who appeared on Q well before they hit the mainstream.
On Q, we cover arts and culture in all its forms, including music, movies, film, TV, comedy, painting, photography, theatre, cinema, Broadway, fashion, dance, opera, documentaries, books, fiction and memoirs.
Look to our archives to hear some of Tom’s award-winning artist interviews, including his moving and insightful conversation with the Canadian actor Michael J. Fox, which was awarded the prestigious gold medal for best interview at the 2021 New York Festivals Radio Awards.
In 2022, Tom spoke with Friends star Matthew Perry in front of a live audience. Their warm and frank conversation about the actor's struggles with substance abuse struck a chord, leading to millions views on TikTok and Instagram, while also being picked up by news outlets internationally, including Vanity Fair and CNN.
Tom’s impactful discussions with top talent have included Adele, Bono, Chappell Roan, Pamela Anderson, Cate Blanchett, Dua Lipa, Cher, Denzel Washington, Mick Jagger, Florence Pugh, Francis Ford Coppola, Kristen Stewart, Emma Stone, Jim Carrey, Billy Porter, Tom Hanks, Jerry Seinfeld, Tyler Perry, Alicia Keys, Alan Moore, Bruce Springsteen, Dolly Parton, Barbra Streisand, Darren Aronofsky, Harry Styles, Simu Liu, Sean Penn, Sandra Bullock, Michaela Coel, Ryan Reynolds, Katy Perry, Neil Young, Shakira, George Clooney, Ava DuVernay, Omar Apollo, Trixie Mattel, Orville Peck, Big Sean, Anil Kapoor, Jane Fonda, Robert DeNiro, Antonio Banderas, Elton John, Celine Dion, Kerry Washington, Chuck D, Steven Soderbergh, Mikey Madison, Cillian Murphy, Sean Baker, Steve McQueen, Paris Hilton, Tay...

Jack Innanen has tapped into the zeitgeist with his viral TikTok sketches, earning him the title of “the internet’s boyfriend.” His millions of followers have since watched him make the leap into acting with roles in comedies like Adults and Big Mistakes. As Jack tells Tom Power in a special interview in Banff, Alberta, it’s collaborating with fellow Canadians on projects with deeper meaning that brings him the greatest personal satisfaction.

Gail Maurice wrote and directed her latest film, Blood Lines, with her hometown of Beauval, Saskatchewan, in mind. Some of the film's dialogue is spoken in Michif — a Métis language spoken fluently by fewer than 2,000 people — so Gail cast family and friends from her 700-person village, creating a deeply personal portrayal of her culture. She joins Tom Power in studio to discuss what it was like working in her language and casting her own mother to act alongside her.

Anna Lambe almost walked away from acting before landing her starring role in North of North. She had headed to Ottawa to study international development, deciding to focus less on acting and more on her activism for Indigenous rights. But it was the pull of North of North’s characters — with their genuine depth and nuance of Indigenous experiences — that finally brought her back to the screen. And as she explains to Tom Power in a special interview from Banff, none of her projects have felt more personal than this show and its current success.

Vancouver duo True Mountain Laurel introduces their debut album’s title track, Angel So Bad, in Q’s recurring New Music segment. The album is out everywhere on August 28.

In November, we took the show on the road all the way to Tom Power’s hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador! This special live taping of Q took place at the historic St. John’s Arts and Culture Centre, featuring performances and interviews with musician Alan Doyle formerly of Great Big Sea, opera singer Deantha Edmunds, comedian Rick Mercer, actors Allan Hawco and Joséphine Jobert, and many more.

Deborah Cox is one of the most celebrated voices in music, with a career that spans chart-topping hits, Grammy nominations, acclaimed performances on screen and on stage. She’s back on Broadway in the Tony-nominated hit Titaníque, playing the Unsinkable Molly Brown. The story is a funny retelling of James Cameron’s Titanic, told through the perspective and music of Céline Dion. Deborah joins Tom Power to talk about why the role is a full circle moment — from singing backup for Céline in the early ’90s, to singing one of her most powerful hits, All by Myself, on stage.

Vancouver’s bbno$ has racked up millions of followers across platforms for his funny raps and witty commentary on internet culture today. After going viral in 2019, he’s managed to keep the success going with a string of hits that have landed him two Juno Awards, a slot on Jimmy Kimmel Live and the ability to tour the world. bbno$ joins Tom Power in studio to talk about how a rugby injury led to him starting his music career, the cost of being online all the time, and why he thinks his work resonates with audiences.

The Canadian comedian Tom Green has been a huge presence in the comedy world for decades — from his cable-access days doing The Tom Green Show, to his almost 20 years in Los Angeles with his late-night at-home talk show, to his many stand-up tours and his movie Freddy Got Fingered. Now, Tom has a new series on Crave called The Tom Green Farm, where he interviews guests on his farm in rural Ontario. Tom (Green) joins Tom (Power) in the Q studio to talk about his long love of talk shows, getting back into skateboarding in his 50s, and what it takes to gain a mule's trust.

Carley Fortune says she had one firm line when it came to the Amazon Prime adaptation of her debut novel: it had to stay in Canada. In the end, the series Every Year After stayed rooted in the same country as her books. In a special interview from Banff, Alberta, Tom Power sits down with the bestselling author behind Every Summer After and Our Perfect Storm to talk about why the setting is never just a backdrop in her love stories, and what it’s like watching the worlds she imagined on the page come to life on screen.

Tillie Walden is a prolific and award-winning American graphic novelist. Her 2017 graphic memoir, Spinning, won the prestigious Eisner Award. Now, she’s back with her 15th publication, Charity and Sylvia, which takes readers into rural Vermont in the early and mid-1800s to tell the story of one of the oldest documented queer relationships in America. Tillie tells Tom Power about the true love story of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake, how their story made her reflect on her own life, and what it’s like to draw 240 pages in just eight months.Clarification: The headline on this story has been edited for clarity and precision.